index

A Member of the Congregation

"...I AM a preacher. The onliest difference is, I'm preachin' FOR it!!"

Brother Dave Gardner
"JOY TO THE SERENITY OF THE STROKE"
A Tribute to the Comic Stylings and Style of a Great Southern Comedian
Brother Dave Gardner, the "Minister" of our Congregation, was a well known Southern Comic of a time when comedy was MEANT to be funny. Dave was well known for his on-stage stylings and his rare gift for finding humor in every day things. He was able to make us laugh at ourselves. While some of his recorded comedy may be dated, his particular brand of provocation remains timeless.

"...Brother Dave, you ought to be a preacher, you could make a million dollars!
Dear Hearts, what would a preacher spend it on?" Rejoice!, Dear Hearts

Beginning with regular appearances on the "Jack Paar Show" in the late 50's, and until his untimely death, Brother Dave excited and entertained audiences all over the country. Imagine the joy of tuning in and seeing Brother Dave and Jonathon Winters on the same show! Dave appeared on the show several times during 1958-59. Firmly stating that "Earth is a Southern planet", Dave showed us how much better it is to relax and enjoy life. "Life's too long to be bugged." In September 1976, at a wedding reception, we were listening to albums when a friend put on "Rejoice!, Dear Hearts". Halfway through the record, my Grandmother (nee Gardner) said that the man on that album was her 2nd cousin. Since that day I have been a rabid collector of Brother Dave recordings. Much of this information is on this site, and I will continue to give updates as my collection and information base grows. (Last update 6-2-04)

"Slick Slacks"/"Wild Streak" 45. Decca Records, Demo Record 1958. Record #9-30627 "Sample Copy - Not For Sale". Radio station copy for promotional use. Dave's "answer" song to "Short Shorts". A couple of late 50's style rock and roll songs. Nice clean copy of a very rare record.

"Hop Along Rock"/"All By Myself" 45. Decca Resords, Demo Record 1958/59. Record #9-30456 "Sample Copy - Not For Sale." Another "Promo" copy. My most recent acquisition via E-Bay. This is a mint copy that also came with the original Decca record sleeve. I just cleaned off some dust, and played it!!

"White Silver Sands"/"Fat Charlie" 45. OJ Records, Inc., Memphis, Tennessee., Brother Dave's rendition of White Silver Sands, a 50's era "torch" song, and Fat Charlie, sung to a calypso beat. One of Dave's earliest recordings, distributed in 1958. "White Silver Sands" became Dave's theme song.

"Love is My Business:/:Mad Witch" 45. OJ Records, Inc. (By the way, OJ stands for Old Judge, for those who didn't know) This item was recently discovered and pruchased on Ebay. Distributed sometime around the release above. So far this is the only copy I've seen around.

rejoice, Dear Hearts!: RCA Victor LPM-2083, 1959, Produced by Chet Atkins Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee.
Memorable stories about L'il David "slewing" Goliath, Julius Ceasar , and the "Mortorcycle Story". " That's right, Baby; I know wha's in ever' book in ever' libary da worl'." She say, Wha's dat?" He say, "Words!" "Er, um, Et Tu, Brutus?" " No man, I ain't et nuttin!"

Kick Thy Own Self: RCA Victor LPM-2239 1960 Produced by Chet Atkins Recorded at The Tidelands, Houston, Texas
"I believe if a man's down, kick him! If he survives it, it'll give him the opportunity to rise above it!"
"Gratitude is riches, and complaint is poverty; and the worst I ever had was wonderful!"

Ain't That Weird?: RCA Victor LSP-2335 1961 Recorded live at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium, Ft. Worth, Texas. "If you're always hung up on good things, how you gonna find anything bad?" "Ain't nothin' wrong with the Country, ceptin' the City." "Let them folks who don't want none have memories of not gettin' any!" (The cover on the right is a 1973 re-release of the same album, but with the "cuts" on the Kennedys edited out. Early 70's political correctness.

Did You Ever?: RCA Victor LPM-2498 1962 Recorded on campus, University of Alabama "Joy to the serenity of the stroke." "Brother Dave, you smoke so much, you might kill yourself.' 'I said, no I won't; I might kill the body, but I won't kill my self!" "The South may not always be right, but, by God, we ain't never wrong!"

All Seriousness Aside: RCA Victor LPM-2628 1963 Recorded in Fort Worth, Texas "A Southern gentleman is always outstanding in his field." "Life's too long to be bugged." "If you're always hung up on good things, how you ever gonna find anything bad?" "...we was so poor, we didn't have nothin' to eat; so we didn't eat nothin'!"

It's Bigger Than Both of Us: RCA Victor LSP-2761 1963 Recorded live in "The Tidelands" in Houston, Texas
"People ask me, 'Do you have that Southern accent all the time?' I said, 'Not when I read to myself.'" "I'm your Preacher in LOVE!" "I believe that if somebody hadn't've loved someone else, wouldn't 'nary a one of us be here."

"Coward at the Alamo" - "You are my Love - RCA Records. While Dave was recording for RCA, another artist produced a hit song named "Please Mr. Custer". In the sprit of the day, Dave released this "answer" song, in the same vein as "Short Shorts" / "Slick Slacks". This one is pretty funny.

The Best of Dave Gardner: RCA Victor LPM-2852 1964 "Dave Gardner Drips a Southern accent all over Mister Kelly's but he don't drip no moonlight or magnolias. While he's a professional Johnny Reb, he's no sweet talker. Brother Dave manages to drawl and chatter rapidly at the same time, with the glibness of a Mort Sahl, the irreverence of a Lenny Bruce, the jargon of a cool cat, and the fervor of an old-fashioned revivalist."

It Don't Make No Difference: Capitol Records T-1867 Recorded at State Coliseum, Montgomery, Alabama; City Auditorium, Jackson, Mississippi; Whiting Armory, Mobile, Alabama. "...say Brother Dave, where th' best place to be when they drop the bomb?" "I say, anywhere you can say "What was THAT?"

Extended Play 45 rpm Promotional Copy record, distributed to radio stations, "Specially Edited For Airplay Tracks From Dave Gardner's New Capitol Album" "It's All In How You Look At It" Promo EP 45's were distributed to give advance airplay to new comedy albums when they were released. Promo records were not for general sale, and are hard to come by.

It's All In How You Look At It: Capitol Records T-2055 Recorded live at the Copa Atlanta, in Atlanta Georgia. Produced by Gardner Enterprises. Is Heaven in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? Be a rock farmer, and just sit there and watch the rocks grow. Then have the money in 1,000 years go to your descendents!

Hip-Ocrocy: Tower (Capitol) T-5050 1967 Produced by "Miss Millie" Gardner Recorded in Hollywood, California at the Troubador. "How can I sweep it under the rug, when I have linoleum floors, and it's glued?" "Laughter's the song of the soul." "I am the reincarnation of a banty rooster!" "Lyndon took the silver out the money 'cause he's scared of werewolves."

Brother Dave Gardner's New Comedy Album: 4-Star Records 4S-75-003 1974 Recorded Nashville, Tennessee. Produced by Millie Gardner. "Brother Dave Gardner's humorous observations in this album covers subjects ranging from the metric system to the CIA, womens lib, politics, the economy, and the 55 MPH speed limit. No matter what the subject, this new collection of "Gardnerisms" is a must for everybody with a sesne of humor. Brother Dave's thoughts are timeless and if you want to laugh then listen to this album."

Brother Dave Gardner, Out Front: Tonka Records, Houston, Texas TLP-713 1970 Recorded Live in Person at Jones Hall Theatre for the Performing Arts, Houston, TX. This is the only album I know of that Dave wrote the liner notes on the back of the cover for. "...I would define myself as a Philosophical Humorist, an incurable optimist, or a complete fool, because I will always keep the faith..." Some critics call this an overly political album, but you have to admit that Dave had it nailed!! Thanks to Carl Grohs, Jr. for this one!!

Brother Dave Gardner In Person: Delta (Decca) DLP-1131 1980
Recorded at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, Houston, Texas. "This album captures the excitement of Brother Dave Gardner..one of the most famous of all Southern humorists. He covers politics, race, religion and law enforcement and finds ways to make you laugh at them all. Sit back, relax and get ready for some outrageous tales from Brother Dave." Contains "LSD is a bad trip" and an updated "Motorcycle Story".

Two Classic Albums from Brother Dave Gardner: "Rejoice, Dear Hearts" and "Kick Thy Own Self" 1996, BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. Available through www.ccmusic.com. Dave's first two albums on CD. There are now CD's available with Dave's first FOUR albums on them. "Way Cool!!"

The Very Best of Brother Dave Gardner: Landmark Productions LP-3150, 1999 "This album was recorded in 1969 at Jones Hall For The Performing Arts in Houston, Texas. "Out Front" and "Brother Dave Gardner: In Person" were both made from this set of recordings. Also contains what was released as "Brother Dave Gardner - Featuring the Motorcycle Story"

1984 two tape VHS set of live performance by Brother Dave. These performances give a glimpse of Dave's style of entertainment. He gives stand-up, sings for us, and plays some wonderful "drum trap" pieces. Tapes include "David and Goliath", "The Motorcycle Story", "The Haunted House", and "Julius Ceasar". Released in 1984, about a year after Brother Dave's untimely death.